The Patron Saint of Sinners
by Crank-01
Summary: Jin caught her eye the moment she looked at him; but for some reason, he's holding back. And what about that weird tattoo on his arm, that magically spread across his back? Andrea sees something in Jin; but she's not quite sure whether it's good or bad...
1. Chapter 1

**Move, Biatch. **

Some people would give anything to start anew; to transfer schools, to make new "friends", to explore different ideas rather than the same ones you've been brought up with.

To be honest, I would've rather my father told me we were being hunted down by assassins than that I would have to move to a new school _again_. It was my third one in four months and I was beginning to feel like a social reject.

I kind of _was _one, but that's not the point.

As soon as people saw me they knew I was different, and most of the kids in the schools I got trusted into didn't like different kids that much. They liked simple, preppy girls with the long blonde hair and the spunky smiles. I was the complete opposite, really; bust-length dark brown hair with a blue stripe through it, almost black eyes, and alarmingly pale skin that contrasting horribly with my rosy lips.

I wore what I wanted when I wanted, and had learnt by now to block out the gawking people that always stared at my outfits.

You'd have thought they'd have learnt manners.

"Andrea? Andrea, cheer up, it's not so bad," my Dad groaned sympathetically, looking at my through his rear view mirror.

He was driving me to my new high school; Sangrey High. It was supposedly a school with brilliant attributes to a child's education and blah, blah, blah.

As far as I was concerned, I wouldn't be around long enough to enjoy these 'attributes'.

"I'm cheerful," I tried, refusing to look up.

I fiddled with the lion key-ring on my bag, finding it hard to see through the thick make-up I had dunked my poor eyes in. I was rebelling against being treated like a parcel, so I applied thick black eyeliner that morning along with about half a pound of mascara, to my father's horror.

Truth be told, I sort of liked it.

Needless to say, he didn't agree to put me back into my previous school the instant he saw my panda eyes, so here I was, sitting sullen in the back of his Range Rover Sport.

He pulled up onto the kerb opposite Sangrey High, and I dared to look at the institute of public education, where I would be spending a couple of my weeks.

I wrinkled my nose in disapproval: it was a large, tall brown building, with about five floors and wrought iron balconies rimming every floor.

Did I mention I was scared of heights?

The school itself was on a main road, practically, and it worryingly noisy. I wondered how many lessons got disrupted by a vicious car speeding up the street, or how many lessons got interrupted by a disgusting odour that was car fumes, wafting up from the street below.

I watched a red motorcycle zoom past, and tittered sordidly.

Decorative iron gates stood in front of the school's entrance, which was also the courtyard, ironically enough. Hundreds of pupils, all different years and sizes, wandered around in their little cliques, waiting for the first bell sounding their first lesson.

The courtyard had a dirty looking fountain, topped with a statue of Poseidon (don't even ask!) and to the left of the fountain was a small glass building named "The Main Office". It looked so small and pathetic compared to the big brown monster that loomed over it, and I couldn't help but pity it.

Then I realised I was feeling empathy for a _building_.

I was going insane.

"Got everything?" Dad asked, gleefully, watching me fiddle with my phone.

I grunted in response, and attempted to lug my suitcase-of-a-bag out of the car.

"Don't crease your lovely uniform!" Dad warned, watching me stumble across the road.

I turned, and faced him, and look of pure annoyance flooding my face. The uniform was enough to make me hate the school, and I hadn't even experienced it yet! It was a fitted navy blazer on top of a silk lilac shirt, accompanied by a dark purple waistcoat.

Yes, a _waistcoat_.

When my Dad told me, I genuinely thought he was joking. When he wasn't, I almost cried. To make matters worse, the skirt was pleated and very, very short, so if I bent down my butt would definitely be on show. Luckily I picked some lovely knickers out that morning.

I had tossed on a pair of purple tights to savour what was left of the monstrosity, and attached some black heels to my feet. I still felt like a mammoth after that, though, so to jazz up the stupid purple/navy/lilac mess I added an assortment of bracelets and rings.

Don't worry, they were _tasteful_ bracelets and rings.

I tugged at the blue stripe in my hair, and raised an eyebrow as Dad opened his mouth to speak once more.

He had been talking the entire drive, and I was shocked he had much more to say.

"Remember, Andrea, go back to your Nan's tonight, I'll be at work, what with the new change and everything…." he frowned, as if suddenly remembering something.

"Alright," I muttered, not evening bothering to question his sudden change in character.

Without another word, he drove off down the street, leaving me at the gates of hell to face its hounds. I sighed, knowing deep down that he wasn't going to whip that car around and tell me he was just kidding, and that I wasn't really moving at all. I was well and truly on my own, once more.

"Here we go again," I grumbled, walking through the gates of Sangrey High.

Have you ever looked around and realised that someone was staring at you, like you were some sort of alien life-force?

Have you ever had it happen three-hundred-and-twelve times, all at once?

I have.

I gulped as the poisonous array of eyes followed my movement. I felt like I was shrinking with every glare, every gawp. I slid into "The Main Office", feeling my face flush an angry red.

I pressed my back against the glass door, and considered whacking my head on it, when a brisk voice called:

"Name?"

I snapped back from my daydream of killing myself, and realised the thin, ratty woman sitting behind a wooden desk was addressing me. I flushed even more, and lurched over to her. She was glaring at me, her painted red lips pursed disdainfully. I ran hand through my hair, and tried for a smile.

She didn't return it.

"Um….. Andrea Walker?" I told her, darting my eyes to the floor, where they belonged.

The scornful lady tapped on her expensive computer a couple of times, and then handed me a light piece of paper. I stared at it, dumbly.

"Your timetable," she explained slowly, like I was a retard.

I was about to respond very snappishly that I knew what it was, when a quirky voice interrupted me:

"Andrea?"

I arched an eyebrow, and faced the source of the voice. A short, thin Chinese girl with her black hair in two bunches, smiled at me, and waved like we were already best friends.

Not.

"Yeah?" I replied lazily, still thinking of severe punishments for the lady in my head.

"I'm Ling Xiaoyu, your buddy here at Sangrey High!" she cried happily, immediately linking her arm in mine.

She did it so forcefully the bangles on my arm jingled. I pulled at the collar of my shirt uncomfortably, and attempted at a silent plea of help to the rude receptionist. She ignored me, smugly.

"Come on, you have first lesson with me!" Ling said joyfully, tugging me out of the building and across the courtyard.

People still stared, just more humorously this time as Ling dragged my sorry ass through a set of double doors and up a steep flight of stairs. I normally didn't appreciate being handled so cruelly, but I really couldn't be bothered to argue, not with such a chirpy girl. Ling Xiaoyu would definitely be a chick I was going to avoid…..

"I love your hair!" Ling remarked, stopping suddenly and gesturing toward my blue stripe.

She gave no warning of this stop, so I walked right into a wall as she swung me round. I rubbed my head irritably, as Ling twirled her skinny finger around my hair. I was tempted to punch her right in her dark eye, but restrained because she was currently my only guide around the huge brown monster.

"Thanks." I said shortly through gritted teeth.

She now seemed content with my hair, because she began leading me up more stairs, pushing through crowds of tall people who elbowed me in my kidneys, and occasionally stopping to say hello to someone or another.

As per usual, I got curious looks everywhere I turned, and I really wished I had packed a paper bag to shove my head in.

"We haven't had a new person in ages!" Ling explained, trying to be helpful.

I grunted.

"I'm glad it's you though: I know we're going to be good friends,"

I shall admit, even _I _was touched by her words. Not many people took the time to be my friend, and here was a perfectly harmless girl requesting my friendship. I felt a little ashamed that I had been so sharp with her, and was about to reply a bit more optimistically, when I saw him.

For the first time, ever.

We were on the third floor, walking down the long corridor. I was trying not to look over the balcony, because fainting on my first day wouldn't exactly go down well on my reputation. He was walking towards us, heading for the stairs.

He was just about the _only _boy who could rock the ugly uniform easily, and his sexy black hair flopping over his eyes in a choppy, spiky way made my heart stop for a moment.

"Hey, Jin!" Ling smiled.

Jin nodded at her in kind acknowledgement, then his eyes drifted over to mine.

I was gone.

I had become overwhelmed by his sparkling grey eyes that were studying me so intently. They were like the stars themselves, crushed down into the size of irises and Jin happened to be blessed with them. They clashed beautifully with his hair, his skin, his nose, I couldn't stop staring at him………

And then I was knocked back into reality when he stopped looking, and continued heading for the stairwell.

Just like that.

Like I was merely another girl crushing on him.

And I was.

Wasn't I?

"Whoa!" I said quietly after I was certain we were out of earshot.

Ling giggled, feigning swooning, and laughed harder when she saw me turn pink.

"Every girl likes Jin," she told me simply, "But he doesn't date,"

To say my wonderful fantasies came tumbling down was an understatement; I was devastated. The one boy who made my heart skip a beat, made it tremble and melt, wasn't looking for a sweetheart.

The one boy who could quite possibly be the only person who didn't treat me like I was a weird breed of dog wasn't interested.

The story of my life, clearly.

"Hey, don't look so sad. If it helps, you're about the only girl he's actually taken the time to look at?" she offered.

I knew she was only saying it to make me feel better, so I faked a smile and allowed her to lead me into science class.

But there was no way I could concentrate on chemical reactions. I had Jin's eyes imprinted into my brain, and they were constantly staring at me, reading me like I was just another one of the bimbo girls that always pined after him…..

"Andrea, are you listening?"

"Eh?"

Ling had been talking to me the entire time I had been speculating about Jin, and everything she had said had simply floated past my ears. I frowned, finally noticing the two other girls that had pulled chairs over to the front of mine and Ling's desk. One had a mass of frizzy brown hair, and caramel skin that was shiny and smooth. Her golden eyes were smiling for her, so her actual mouth-smile was merely a bonus. However, despite her seemingly innocent face, she had her school shirt unbuttoned to her boobs, where her push-up-bra made her boobs look substantially big. Her skirt was as short as mine, but then again, I was wearing tights.

She was wearing short black socks.

I let my eyes flicker over to a few boys lingering behind her, watching her every move like a bunch of perverts, and I shuddered. I would hate to be an object of a boy's dirty dream! Clearly this girl didn't mind though.

"You're a dreamer, aren't you?" she smiled.

"Uh, yeah, I guess I am," I mumbled, tapping my fingers on the desk.

The other girl had on a pair of red rimmed glasses, had milk-bottled skin, and long, long, _long_ brown hair that was thrown into a plait down her back. She was staring at my hair with admiration, and when I caught her eye she smiled meekly, and went back to the textbook she was reading. I kind of felt sorry for her. She was one of the girls who back at my old school would've had their head down the toilet instantly. Or their bag stolen and urinated on, or their hair cut without her noticing.

An easy target for bullies.

Yet, everyone around her seemed pretty content with her. In fact, they treated her as though she were almost invisible.

And I think she liked it that way.

"This is Christie, and Julia. They're our lab partners," Ling repeated, not even an ounce of impatience crossing her face.

I tilted my head to the side curiously, before giving a smile to our two companions. I suppose this was what my life had come to; buddy-ing up with three girls whom I had nothing in common with and wouldn't even _consider _as friends normally, because I was that damn desperate to fit in for once….

"So, Andrea, what brings your to Sangrey High?" Christie asked, winking at one of the boys who's eyes practically popped out of their sockets.

I sniffed, uncomfortably, as Christie made her 'seductive' faces at the boy. He wasn't particularly good looking, but I knew Christie was one of those gilrs who just liked a bit of action in their life. She probably wasn't into relationships at all.

"Well, my Dad moves around a lot in his job. He's a stock broker. This is my fourth school this year alone," I admitted.

Ling gasped.

"I couldn't even imagine leaving these guys!" she cried dramatically.

Julia clucked sympathetically and even Christie's eyebrows shot to the heavens.

I shrugged.

"No big deal. I'm used to it by now, I guess."

I watched their surprised expressions in amusement; they were such the cliché of ignorance. In their words, the sun always shone probably. They were merely kids at heart still, and to be honest, I was jealous. I wanted to hold onto my childhood a little longer as well, but my stupid Dad had pushed me into adulthood with the whole moving schools and also because he was always loading me off onto my Grandmother who couldn't do anything, so I was brought up on independence.

Which also equalled loneliness.

"So," her eyes flickered to the boy's again, "Seen anyone you've liked yet?"

I flushed red, and she laughed.

"Out with it, then!" she pressed, leaning in closer conspiratorially.

I bit my lip uncomfortably, looking over at Ling for some guidance. She gave a tiny nod to continue, and I sighed.

"His name's Jin. I don't really know much about him, but when he looked at me, I kind of, _swooned_," I frowned on the last word, realising how unlike me it was.

I didn't swoon.

I was more of the "play it cool, tough love" kind of person.

I looked over at Christie, who's face had fallen gracefully. It was now distorted into a scowl of annoyance, and I blinked.

What had I done now?

"Jin….looked at you?" Christie asked, touching her head consciously.

I narrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"Yeah?"

Christie grunted, and said no more. I looked over at Julia for help, but she looked down at her book, which was suddenly a lot more interesting than the conversation. I didn't even have time to question her on the sudden grumpiness, because the science teacher, Mr Nakurta cleared his throat and the class fell silent.

I rolled my eyes, and began counting down the minutes until end of lesson.

*

Obviously, things wouldn't ever go as simple as me asking Christie what was up as soon as the class ended, because once the bell rang she sped out of the door so fast my hair turned windswept.

"What is her problem?" I asked tetchily, following Ling down the stairs onto the second floor.

She sighed, and tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Christie had a major thing for Jin a few months back. He didn't even know she was alive," Ling turned to face me, and I watched her eyes sparkle with happiness, "But he noticed _you _Andrea. You must be something special,"

I laughed at this.

"In my head," I mumbled.

"No," Ling said, defiantly, "I don't think so. Jin is a very good judge of character."

My mind drifted back to when I first saw him, how for those few seconds my world had gone upside down inside out. How could some one who created those sort of effects _not _be interested in the likes of Christie? She was gorgeous! Ten times more suitable for him than I would ever be! Yet, I couldn't help gaining a spark of hope that perhaps I wasn't the green troll I thought I was.

That was when he stuck his foot out, and I went flying across the floor, landed roughly on my chest.

He was strong, muscular, built like Jin, except he wasn't as enigmatic. In fact, he was quite the opposite; loud, red spiky hair, with the front flattened down by a pair of racing goggles. He looked messy and just plain _wrong _in the uniform, and he was sneering with all of his loser friends about making the new girl take flight.

Muttering harsh curses under my breath, I clambered to my feet, Ling racing to my side for comfort.

"Andrea, gosh, are you alright?" Ling soothed, giving me the once over for bruises or cuts.

"I'm fine, I think," I replied.

Physically, I was A-OK. But my pride had been destroyed completely, as the boys laughed at me. The red-head suddenly ceased laughing, and his groupies copied. He strolled over to me, and grinned.

"Hey there," he smiled.

And before I knew it he had pushed me against the balcony and was moving his hand up my skirt. Panic encircled my body, and in a moment of desperation, I let rip a powerful left hook, right into his eye.

He lost his sense of direction for a few moments, and I seized the opportunity to bolt. However, either I wasn't as quick as I thought, or he was quicker because no sooner had I thought I was out of reach had he grabbed my blazer and was yanking me back towards the balcony. The look in his eyes was one of a possessed fifteen-year-old, and I was truly fearful that he would throw me right over the balcony. I imagined my body crushing on impact, and gulped.

He swung me brutally into the balcony, the iron bruising my back. I looked around through clouded vision for Ling to help me, but she had disappeared. In fact, _everyone _had disappeared; it was just me, and five boys ready to kill.

"So you like games, do you?" the red-head spat, clutching a handful of my hair and yanking it.

He pressed his face close to mine, close enough to see those evil eyes, and I turned my face away in one last attempt to grow a spine.

"I'm not afraid of you!" I hissed.

His down-turned mouth turned into a grin then, and he pulled me away from the balcony, and let me go, forcefully enough for me to lose balance and fall. He and his pals circled me like sharks discussing how to devour their prey. Weakly, I got to my feet once more. I watched the red-head put on tight leather gloves, which he probably only did when he was going to beat the crap out of someone.

My mind began scanning desperately for something to change my deadly fate, but I couldn't find anything that would get me out of this mess. I had been to a lot of schools, but none of them had offered up such brutality as kicking the daylights out of a girl; Sangrey High must've been teaching their boys chivalry alright!

"C'mon, new girl, show me how you fight!" the red-head taunted.

I shook my head, hands up in surrender.

"I-I can't fight," I stuttered.

They all laughed at how pathetic I was becoming, and the red-head edged closer than the others.

"Too bad. Such a pretty face as well!"

He lunged for me, fist in the air, and I screamed, bracing myself for the hard-knuckled punch that would probably knock me out.

It didn't come, though. Gingerly, I opened my eyes, only to see someone, strong, powerful, standing in front of me.

They had caught the red-head's fist in mid-air, and was currently squeezing it.

"Ow, Jin, come on, man, we were only messing!" the red-head pleaded, the pain of Jin's strong grip making him drop to his knees.

My mouth dropped as I watched the red-head's friends disperse in pure fright, and dropped even more when Jin grabbed the red-head by his shirt collar, and hissed:

"I'll be seeing you."

His voice was so dark, so mysterious and scary - I loved it!

He released his prey and the red-head scuttled off to his lesson, probably rueing the day he messed with the new kid. I watched Jin carefully, as he slowly turned around, and faced me.

He really was beautiful. Beautifully chiselled features, beautiful body, and a good heart, clearly, because he saved me from several broken bones.

I didn't really know what to say: I hadn't spoken to him before, so I kind of shifted from foot to foot, as he stared down at me. He had no kind smile on his face, yet I knew somewhere in those hypnotic eyes, there was some sort of generosity.

"Thank you," I finally managed, "For saving me."

"Hwoarang is a loser. You would do well to stay away from him," Jin explained.

He then walked over to where my bag had been thrown, picked it up, and handed it to me.

"Lesson?" he queried.

"I, um," I felt myself flush with foolishness, "I actually don't know. Ling was my guide and she kind of evaporated?"

Then he cracked a small smile, which set my heart on fire. It was such a rarity to see, probably, and he was gracing _me _with it; I felt sort of honoured.

"Yeah, Ling isn't one for violence," Jin nodded.

"You know her well?"

"All my life. Now," he looked down at me thoughtfully, "If I remember correctly, Ling has AP English."

"You remember her timetable?" I arched an eyebrow quizzically.

Jin raised his eyebrows in response, which made me laugh. I almost thought for a second he was going to laugh too, but he remained silent. Instead, he gestured towards the stairwell.

"Shall we?" he said, already walking ahead of me.

"Um…"

But he had already disappeared through the doors, forcing me to run to catch up.

Jin certainly was a mystery.

Lucky for him, though, I liked mysteries.


	2. Chapter 2

**Fight me.**

"You're swooning." Christie said bluntly over lunch.

Julia, Christie, Ling and I were having lunch at our own table - we weren't't exactly the popular crew, people weren't fighting each other to sit near us - and I was picking at my sandwich, eyes glazed over.

"ANDREA." Christie shook the table, jolting me back to reality.

I watched her carefully as she raised an eyebrow, trying to see right into my mind, into my daydream.

I sincerely hoped she didn't get through…..

"You've been aerated since second lesson, what's with you?!" Christie accused, disgust melting into her voice.

I shrugged, taking a bite of my sandwich and trying not to think of Jin. But nothing was working, he was imprinted into my head. His beautiful eyes, his strong arms, his delicate hands……

"Andrea. Andrea, I'm serious, talk!" Christie demanded.

"I-uh, I-uh…" I smiled meekly.

Ling smiled as well, because she saw who walked me to AP English. I would never forget the face of every female in that class, as Jin ushered me into the classroom. Every single girl's mouth's dropped to the floor, and their eyes were tinged with jealously. I bit my lip uncomfortably, but the envious glares went right over Jin's head, as he closed the door behind him. Ling had been practically rocking in her seat with excitement as the teacher sat me next to her.

"Where were you?!" I hissed, a little annoyed that she had bolted as soon as there was a chance of danger.

She had flushed at this and muttered something about being a pacifist. To be completely honest, I was particularly bothered that she didn't come to my rescue; Jin had that covered.

However, a few questions had begun popping into my head the more I pondered on what had happened: how had Jin known what was going on? He was on a completely different floor, completely unaware that Hwoarang was asserting himself aggressively.

_And _it was strange how he appeared out of the blue! The corridor had emptied, and I knew that - where had Jin come from?!

Unless he was stalking me……..

I frowned at this thought, and then laughed at myself. Jin wasn't the stalker type!

"Ok….now you're going crazy." Christie concluding, taking a bite of her cupcake.

"You just might have something there…." I mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Thankfully the dead conversation was cut short by the lunchroom doors swinging open loudly, and a stunning blonde stepped through, every single ounce of her sparkling, quite literally! My mouth dropped in awe as she swung her glossy hair over her shoulder, and strutted over to join the lunch queue.

I was surprised that the queue didn't part in her wake!

But no - everyone undoubtedly looked over at her beauty, yet they continued consuming their lunches after they'd stolen their glances.

"Who is that?!" I asked Ling.

"That? Oh, that's just Lili," Ling said as though she were talking about a mere ugly kid.

"She's _beautiful,_" I remarked, taking a swig of my water.

Christie snorted, jealously radiating from her once more. I was beginning to understand how Christie operated; she was nice enough when she had the spotlight on her, but once it started to tilt away from her pretty face, she began to get a touch of that famous little-green-monster. Her eyes had darkened so much I half expected her to attack Lili , but luckily she contained herself. To release all that bad energy, she bit into her carrot stick, and chewed aggressively.

"She is," Ling agreed, "She's as incredibly shallow and superficial though,"

Now _that _made sense: most alarmingly pretty people I had met often couldn't spell "lemon", no matter how they tried to sound it out.

I was still waiting on the day I saw a gorgeous smart person…

"Didn't she like Jin once?" Julia piped up, lifting her head from the novel she was reading.

"I think so. He wasn't interested though," Ling sighed, forlornly.

My eyes widened. Now I _knew _I had no chance with Jin - if he turned down such a beautiful girl as Lili, where were the hopes he'd like _my _company? Yes, I stood out in the crowd, but not for good reasons. I wasn't popular, or pretty, or funny. I was impulsive, emotionless half the time and I doubted I'd look even _remotely_ appealing next to Lili. Her blonde hair was enough to kick my butt all the way to Timbuktu.

I watched as Lili carefully sashayed over to Hwoarang's table, which was already crammed with people. My blood turned cold thinking about how much damage he could have done and I shuddered.

Lili stood up, and pouted, one hand on her hip, the other balancing her tray perfectly. For me, doing that and still looking as graceful as she did was impossible.

"Can anybody help me?" she rasped.

Her voice was incredibly girly and vulnerable, which made me do a double-take; I was expecting her to sound sexy, fun and flirty - instead, she sounded like a cross between bubblegum and candyfloss.

I could sort of understand why Jin would reject that; maybe he didn't have a sweet tooth, if he didn't want to date Lili _or _Christie?

As soon as Lili spoke, three boys got up all at once. One sat her down in their seat, the other took her tray and the third started up a conversation. I blinked, as she lapped up the attention.

"Whoa. Just whoa." I mumbled, looking around at our virtually empty table.

Why was I always seated with the losers?! I mean, yes, they were nice enough to accept me into their circle of friendship, but come on, surely I deserved _some _fortunate event to occur in my life?! Ling, Julia, and Christie were all nice people, but I wanted something more.

I wanted adventure.

I wanted something memorable for once, and this thought put a damper on my mood.

Because the way things were starting off, it seemed unlikely…

"If you're worried about the Jin thing, don't," Ling hissed as we both got up to empty our trays.

I arched an eyebrow, wondering if my emotions really were that easy to read.

"I have never, in all the years I've known Jin, seen him fight for someone. He's a bit of a loner, really. But you've caught his eye, Andrea. You actually have a chance," Ling informed me.

"But, look at Lili; I can't compete with that!" I tugged at my own hair and pulled a face.

"You don't have to, because Jin doesn't even glance at her. And yet he _spoke _to you! That means something!"

I was taken aback by how forcefully Ling was speaking: it was unlike her. But I could sort of understand where she was coming from. He barely knew me, however he had said more to me than he had said to Lili and Christie in the years they had spent with him.

Perhaps I was a little more appealing than I gave myself credit for…..

"How did you find AP English?"

The voice came from nowhere, and I whipped around to find myself inches away from Jin himself. His brow was furrowed, as though he were contemplating something difficult. Ling nudged me in my ribs, and I realised Jin was waiting, expectantly.

I cleared my throat.

"I-uh, it was ok. I'm not very good at English." I admitted.

He tilted his head to the side in consideration, and nodded.

"You'll get better, once you settle in," he told me.

"_If _I settle in," I remarked bitterly.

I suddenly got a horrible thought - what if Dad moved jobs again?! I couldn't move school this time, I really couldn't! Someone who intrigued me was actually noticing me this time, moving away was love suicide!

"If?" Jin queried.

I then realised two things at that moment;

One was that Ling had disappeared back to the table. She was making a habit of the whole vanishing act and it was beginning to creep me out.

The other, more major thing was that those three-hundred-and-twelve faces that had stared at me when I first walked into school, was staring at me again. The looks varied this time, though, which was a minor improvement; some were in amazement, some disgust, some in amusement, some in confusion, and a whole bunch of them were horrendously envious.

I shifted uncomfortably. Obviously they were all stunned that Jin was actually speaking to someone, and what knocked them all off their feet even more was that it was the new girl.

"Everyone's staring." I whispered, glancing over at a ferocious-looking Lili, who looked fit to kill.

Actually, scrap that that line.

She looked fit to kill _me_.

"People like to stare," Jin said simply, still waiting for my reply on the "if I settle in" he had asked me about.

"It's unnerving," I retorted, keeping my eyes glued to the floor.

"You get used to it. I don't think they understand how rude it is,"

I looked up at him, and his eyes sparkled mischievously. I laughed and I saw a faint smile tint his lips, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. I was starting to develop a fondness for Jin; I barely knew him, yet I was attracted to him like a magnet. One look, and he had pulled me in.

Well, one look and he pulled in half the population of Sangrey High, really.

The lunch bell sounded then, telling all the students it was time for fifth lesson. However, no-one moved; they were all still watching Jin and I intently, waiting for us to disperse.

As soon as we did, they'd probably all tackle me to the ground with venomous questions.

"You've caused quite an upset in the chain of command around here," Jet said, choosing to acknowledge the stares for the first time.

"You're telling me," I mumbled, running a hand down my face.

"Hmmm." his brow furrowed again, and his shook his head, the thing you do when you've got a sudden headache and you're trying to shake it off.

His hands began quivering, and I narrowed my eyes.

"Are you ok?" I asked, reaching out to touch his hand.

He snatched it away at the last minute and our eyes locked. The playful gleam he always had had disappeared; in its place was a dark dullness which made me suddenly fearful.

Without another word, he tore his gaze away from me and hurried from the lunchroom. I stared after him, baffled. He was such a hard person to read, it was unsettling. I wasn't sure whether he was coming or going, and I certainly failed at trying to read his body language.

"Who are you?" I breathed, watching the lunchroom doors swing back into position.

*

After fending off all the questions on how I knew Jet (a complete lie. What I mean to say is 'after running away from the girls and their pickaxes) I met Ling in the library, wondering what lesson I had next.

"Free period," she explained, lugging a huge maths book out of her bag and sighed, "I have to study, but you should do something constructive. How about exploring the school?"

"I'll get lost," I said dully.

"You have an hour to find your way out?" Ling offered, opening the book and already jotting down neat notes.

I groaned in submission, and began ascending the stairs to explore the school. I didn't find anything I hadn't seen before in any of the other schools: it was like a bad case of déjà vu. Already bored out of my brain, I skipped along the second floor corridor, hoping to amuse myself in the process.

It didn't work.

I sighed, and turned the corner, finding myself face to face with two double doors. There were two glass windows inserted above the handles, and curiosity got the better of me. I stood on my tip-toes, and took a peek.

It was a gym, but not a new, High-Tec one like my previous schools. It was sort of rundown, and looked put together quickly, like someone needed it done desperately. I saw a few battered punch bags hanging from rusty metal chains, fight posters plastered the walls, two single lights hung from the vast ceiling, and the room in general was dimly lit. There was a huge wrestling ring in the middle of the room, and someone was standing inside it, balancing on one foot in the 'crane' position.

I recognised him immediately.

Jin.

Before I could stop myself, I silently opened one of the doors, and walked in. Jin didn't look up; he hadn't seen me. I thought it better to keep it that way, so I ducked behind one of the punch bags and watched him. He was doing some sort of calming warm-up, which was beautiful to watch. He was doing such aggressive moves in such a graceful way, it was bewildering! I was so engrossed in watching him, I didn't even hear a tall, black man approach me from behind.

However, I _did _hear him laugh at me, and turned around quickly, tripping over my feet and dropping to the floor.

Still, Jin was unfazed - it was like he was in a trance.

The black guy laughed again, and helped me to my feet.

"And what would you be doing in here, pretty lady?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I-um-I-um…." I smiled meekly, and he chuckled.

He stuck out his hand, and I shook it, sheepishly.

"Name's Eddie," he introduced, cracking a smile.

"I'm Andrea. I'm new," I explained.

"That figures. No-one stumbles across this place besides rookies,"

I raised an eyebrow, and folded my arms across my chest. Eddie sighed, sorrowfully, and gestured all around him.

"This place is a dump. It's just me and Jin that actually use this place, and even I'm drawing away from it. But Jin, Jin's smitten with it."

He smiled as Jin did a perfect butterfly kick, and landed in a back flip. I smiled as well. He was out of his uniform; it was replaced with mere purple tracksuit bottoms.

He was shirtless.

Yes, I did almost faint.

He had a funny looking tattoo on his arm, though, which made me frown. I didn't like tattoos that much, and Jin's one was making me wince for some reason.

Eddie noticed my eyes suddenly haze over as I stared at Jin, and he nodded.

"Another one? Man, Jin certainly has a following!" he remarked, laughing as I blushed, "Andrea, isn't it?"

That was when Jin stopped what he was doing, and turned to face Eddie and I. Eddie stepped back, in shock. He then looked over at me, shaking his head in disbelief.

"You must be special. Jin has never, ever acknowledge one of his groupies during training before," he said, his mouth dropping.

I was about to retort furiously that I wasn't a groupie, when I heard Jin clear his throat. I clenched my fists and glared at Eddie, but held my tongue.

"Have fun, Jin!" Eddie called, winking at me before leaving.

I made a disgusted noise, and rolled my eyes to the heavens. It irked me that whenever a boy and a girl were left alone, automatically sexual aspects were assumed. JIN WASN'T EVEN THE TYPE!

I watched him warily as he leant over the ropes of the ring, hands clasped together. His eyes shone through his black hair, which was devilishly attractive.

"You just left?" I tried, breaking the silence.

I walked over to one of the walls and studied a particularly brutal poster. It had a guy fly-kicking another in the nose, blood splattering all out of the nasal. I cringed, but couldn't deny that Jin was more likely to be kicking ass than receiving beatings.

"I had a few things on my mind," Jin said finally, his voice cracking as though he hadn't used it in a while.

I turned and climbed into the ring, hoping I looked elegant. Jin cocked his head to the side, cautiously. I looked down at my feeble hands, and thought about what had happened with Hwoarang earlier.

"I don't think you'll have any more problems with Hwoarang," Jin said, as though he were reading my thoughts. I quirked an eyebrow, but continued to study my hands. I clenched them into fists then, and mimicked a fighting stance I saw once on a TV programme.

For the first time in years, I bet, Jin laughed. It was laugh that made my insides set alight, and I couldn't help but smiling as his eyes practically glowed with delight. He came over to me, and placed both of his hands on my wrists. His hair tickled my cheek as he leaned over my shoulder and began fixing my arms in a proper fighting stance.

"One," he held up my right hand, and placed it just below my chin, "For defence,"

He then took the other and placed it ever so slightly above the right.

"For attack. Defence and attack should be balanced at all times," he explained.

As though it came naturally to him, he copied the stance I had been put in and threw a few quick punches as if to emphasize his point. He nodded at me to emulate, and I attempted it.

I failed miserably.

I was so weak it wasn't even funny anymore, and I knew Jin was trying hard not to laugh at how pathetic I was. Sighing with fake reluctance, he came over and fixed my hands back into the fighting stance. Our eyes caught, and my heart stopped. I realised how close our faces were, our noses inches from touching. Hands still on mine, he leant in a little closer. I closed my eyes, positive I was dreaming. The emotions that flooded my body were indescribable; his touch sent my heart blood into overdrive, his look was enough to make the Queen faint with pleasure, and the way he spoke to me made me feel so good about myself it was weird.

I opened my eyes again, and edged in, waiting for him to allow our lips to touch.

We were almost there……almost there…..almost……

Then he pulled away, to my dismay.

I wanted his hands back on mine, and I especially wanted his lips on mine! I watched him pace the ring, the look of pain stretching across his face once more. I tried to step towards him, but he backed away, jumping over the ropes. His eyes had the horrible dullness in them again, and that daunting fright returned.

"Jin…" I bit my lip.

He looked up at me, sweat dripping from his forehead for some reason. He was breathing heavily, and his hair looked like it had _grown_. Yes, _grown_, in the past five seconds.

That was when he turned around to leave, and I noticed that not only did he have the disturbing tattoo on his arm, but all across his back as well. It was there, in its horrible black ink, penetrating Jin's perfect skin.

And if I didn't know any better, I would've sworn it was _glowing_…..

The gym door slammed close, making me jump.

I frowned in disappointment, realising that my one chance of getting closer to Jin might have just slipped through my fingers…

"What just happened?" I whispered to myself.

I closed my eyes, and gasped at what I saw.

Jin's tattoo, gleaming purple, plastered to my brain like a nightmare.


	3. Chapter 3

**Strangely enough…**

I looked for Jin on my way out of school, but I didn't see him. Disappointed, I crossed the road sullenly (Ling and Julia on my left and right, wedging me in. It was making me surprisingly claustrophobic, considering I had been sharing air with Jin only an hour before.) and stood under the bus shelter.

My mind was elsewhere. The tattoo pasted onto Jin's back ricocheted all around my head, giving me a headache. It didn't help that the bus was packed either, and that I was suddenly getting a craving for Jin. He was like a drug, pulsing through my veins. He defined the word _addicted _and I was beginning to understand how smokers felt when they inhaled their cigarette; if it was anything like Jin, I would never judge them again.

"Andrea, you've gone very pale," Julia remarked, kindly offering me a mirror.

I rejected it, not particularly interested in seeing my ugliness. That was a plus at being me - if I avoided the mirrors, I wouldn't be so repulsed………..

The bus slowly emptied, and Ling said her goodbyes before getting off. My grandmother lived near enough at the last bus stop, so I wouldn't be getting off anytime soon.

I watched the light rain pound the ground serenely, carefully watching for any sight of Jin. It might've been slightly obsessive, but I couldn't care less at that moment: I was worried about him.

The expression on his face as he tore away from me was heartbreaking. He didn't _want _to move away, it was almost like he had to..

It was lonely, watching everyone get off the bus in their cliques, going to each other's houses for dinner. They really didn't understand how lucky they were that they could fit in. The more I moved schools, tasting different atmospheres, the clearer it became that I truly didn't belong.

I didn't want to move from Sangrey High though; not yet, anyway. I still had a lot more to discover, and deep down in my gut, I felt an adventure coming on.

I sighed, and pressed the bell, signalling the bus to stop.

As I sat at my Nan's table, munching a home-made cookie, I began thinking positively; Jin would probably be in tomorrow, right as rain, saying he just didn't feel well and that he'd overdone it with all the training he'd done in the gym.

No big deal, right?

Except Jin wasn't in the next day, or the day after that. I was beginning to worry.

I was restless in all of my lessons, and Ling noticed. She only had to look at me to know what was wrong though, so she did her best to distract me; unfortunately for me, her version of "distracting" was working hard in class and actually _finishing _the questions. I allowed my pencil to drag along the margins of my English book, drawing my own version of Jin's tattoo.

Except my version was a little more friendly.

"Hey, Andrea, have you done question -" she gasped, and stabbed her finger at the thickened version of the tattoo, "You've seen it?!"

I shushed her, and surveyed the area to see if anyone was eavesdropping; no-one seemed fazed at all, they were all too busy discussing the soap opera that I never watched.

"Yes, I've seen it. It's freaky," I replied in a whisper, shuddering as it glowed in my mind once more.

Ling's mouth dropped a little. I frowned, confused at why seeing Jin's tattoo was such a big deal. I asked her why she was having a seizure over a little ink, but she just shook her head, and pressed her pen firmly to paper, speaking no more of my drawing.

"Ok then.." I muttered under my breath.

As if I wasn't worried, confused and upset all at once about _Jin_, now I was concerned about Ling and the meaning of this tattoo that had spooked her.

I managed to catch her arm at the end of the lesson though, and she sighed, resignedly as I led her out and across to the balcony. I allowed everyone else to melt away to their next classes.

"I don't even have to ask, do I?" I queried, watching her eyes fill with terror.

There was an awful silence, and a clatter of thunder rumbled a few miles ahead, ripping through the quietness. The sky flashed a brilliant white seconds later. I looked at Ling, who seemed to be contemplating with herself whether to tell me the answer I wanted or not.

"Ok," she finally said, letting out a breath of air.

Her shoulder's sunk, and she had gone pale. I tilted my head to the side, curiously, and beckoned for her to go on.

"Jin isn't…..like us." she said bluntly.

"Yeah, I knew that. I'm talking about the tattoo." I replied, getting impatient.

"Well, they both kind of tie in. His tattoo is sort of in the bloo-"

"What are you two doing out of class?"

Both Ling and I whipped around to find ourselves face to face with our maths teacher, Mrs Briares. I rolled my eyes, and her scowl deepened.

"We were just on our way, Miss," Ling said innocently, batting her eyelashes.

"You're late." the demon-teacher retorted.

I thought she was going to escort us to our lesson, but she merely muttered something about an hours detention for truanting, and marched off.

"You were saying?" I turned to Ling, to find that she had already entered the stairwell, and was moving to her next class.

I gritted my teeth, irritably. Next time I saw her, I was beating her senseless. What was she about to say about the tattoo?! It was in his what?! I groaned, feeling the headache building.

I just wanted to see his face, and I had a horrible gut feeling I'd never see it again.

I had lost the best thing that had ever happened to me.

*

"Grandma, I'm home!" I called, slamming the flat door behind me.

I expected to be hit immediately with the smell of vanilla extract and sugar, my Nan's signature smell whenever I was staying for a while. Dad wasn't going to be home early enough for dinner for another few weeks, so once again, Andrea was being passed over to grandmother.

I didn't really mind, though; my grandma well and truly _rocked_.

She lived in a ditsy grey flat that looked like the sun never ever shined through the smeared windows, even in tremendous heat. The flat was small, but cosy. It was humble, yet had everything you could need. In Grandma's house, no-one went without; there was always a hot meal, a cool dessert and a shoulder to cry on.

I loved that part the most.

"Grandma?" I walked into the microscopic kitchen, frowning when I didn't see her big butt leaning over the oven.

I looked on the fridge, and saw a quickly written note on a post-it sticker:

_**Andrea, **_

_**Gone supply shopping, we were out of flour. **_

_**Be back soon. **_

_**There's cake in the pantry. **_

I laughed at the last line: she knew me too well. I was always hungry. I then sighed with relief. I was starting to worry for a moment, which I didn't need to because Nan always went out and about. That was probably why she didn't mind her hideous flat as much as she should have; she was barely in it. To her, it wasn't home, it was purely sleeping quarters.

"Bottom's up!" I yawned, chugging milk straight from the carton, like the wonderful pig that I was.

I then grabbed the large slice of cake from the pantry, and flopped down on the flea-bitten sofa that sunk under my weight. I fumbled around for the remote control for the TV, grumbling when I had to set down my cake and get on my hands and knees.

"Eff you, you stupid little-"

I stood up, and was suddenly facing a muscular chest covered by a white vest. I blinked, positive I was imagining things.

But no, it was there, and _he_ was there, his eyes shining, his mouth closed and pouted. In fact, our bodies weren't far from touching either…

Jin held up the remote, a small smile touching his lips.

I snatched it off of him, and squinted in scrutiny.

"How the hell did you get in here?!" I cried, throwing the remote on the sofa, where it was swallowed by the pillows.

"You let me in." he said simply, his eyes not leaving mine for a second.

I frowned, positive I was losing my mind.

I didn't remember letting him in, but he looked so solemn and sure of himself, I was doubting my own memory. I cast my mind back to about five seconds ago, but couldn't recall letting him in at all. I gave myself a mental slap back to reality, and frowned at him.

"I didn't let you in." I said bluntly.

"You did," he insisted, his eyes darkening.

If it was supposed to intimidate me into agreeing with him, it failed. Once I was sure I was right, I wasn't afraid to fight my corner.

"No, I didn't. I came in, looking for my Nan, and then I saw her note, grabbed the cake and sat down looking for the remote," I informed him smartly.

"And you had milk," he added.

My mouth dropped, and I took a step back, warily.

He really _was _stalking me! He narrowed his eyes, and stepped back as well. His fierce eyes suddenly turned distraught, and I no longer saw a tough, angry looking guy - instead, I was looking at a strong, deeply troubled person who needed a lifeline.

"Are you- are you afraid of me, Andrea?" he asked, not even looking at me when he asked it.

Was I afraid? Kind of….

But it wasn't really "run away screaming" sort of fear. It was more I was afraid of the effect he had on me; how far was I willing to go for him, this boy I hardly knew who had so many secrets?

"No," I said finally, coming forward and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder (he flinched a little, which puzzled me), "No, I'm not afraid of you. I'm afraid of what you do to me. I see you, and then something just, _connects_. It's strange."

He sighed, and stared straight at me. He looked so sorrowful it was distressing, and I wanted to reach out and hug him as tight as I could. But somehow, I knew at the moment he didn't respond well to me touching him, so I just waited for him to speak some more.

"I'm not good for you," he concluded, after pacing the minuscule living room a few times.

"Let _me _be the judge of that," I countered, causing him to hold the bridge of his nose for a moment to regain calmness.

I didn't understand why that angered him, but I decided, just to play it safe for today, not to make anymore cynical comments when he was trying to be serious.

"You don't understand. I'm not like other guys. I have….problems." he said, blandly.

As he said it, his eyes glassed over, as though he were remembering something important.

"Family problems?" I asked, watching the concentration return to his face.

He ran a hand through his perfectly poised hair, in frustration. I folded my arms, and waited. All I seemed to be doing lately was waiting, waiting, waiting, and I knew that if I didn't start getting a proper social life, I'd be doing the same waiting game forty years on from now.

Just, now didn't seem like the right time to inform Jin that I'd like him to get a flaming move on.

"You could say that," he said, lowly, "Sometimes it all gets a bit too much, and I, I try to get away for a few days. Away from it all,"

That explained the absence from school the past three days….

"And it worked? Getting away for a few days?" I asked.

He shook his head, to my surprise.

"Not this time, no. Since I've met you, the only real release I feel, it being with you."

I blushed, bright red. If you had to categorize Jin as anything, it certainly wouldn't have been a charmer. And yet here he was, saying perhaps the nicest, sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me, without even realising how it lifted my spirits to hear him say something like that.

I opened my mouth to respond, when I remembered Lili, and Christie, and all the other beautiful girls that would assassinate government officials for him, just to see him smile at them. The awesome high he had put me in lowered immensely, as I began comparing myself to them.

"Why me? Why not the prettier, popular girls? I'm a new kid, an outcast. Why doesn't a chick like Lili make you feel like that?" I queried, unable to hide the hurt in my voice as I said it.

Jin frowned at my saddened face, and then smiled.

Again.

That was two smiles.

I was beginning to feel blessed.

"Lili? That weird blonde girl with the fringe?" he frowned when I nodded, "I'm offended that you think she even compares to you."

"That's just it!" I cried, incredulously - "She doesn't! She's gorgeous, and I'm….not."

My voice faltered on the last word, and I shook my head morosely, not even having the courage to look at him.

Then he did something remarkable, even for him, who seemed to have no limits in surprising me: he placed a hand underneath my chin, and tilted it up so I'd have to face his amazing eyes. They sparkled with amusement as I flushed pink.

"Let me tell you something, Andrea. I am as ignorant as you are as to why you make me feel so relaxed and at peace with myself. But you do. Not Lili, not Christie, _you_. And I find it strange how you can recollect other girl's' beauty, yet fail to see your own. Yes, very strange indeed," he mused at the last line, which made me laugh.

His eyes twinkled in response.

He was implying that I was beautiful, and I couldn't help but _feel _it when he said it. He was the sort to mean what they say and say what they mean, so I knew he wasn't feeding me crap to get into my pants.

In fact, Jin didn't even look like the type to want to get into _any _girl's pants; he was nowhere near as shallow as the boys who thought like that. I hadn't really experienced a boy complimenting me before Jin, because I was often surrounded by pretty girls with the Lara Croft bodies and boobs - why charm _me_ when they could charm future-models?

Because of this, I didn't really know how to respond, so I shifted from foot to foot, blushing.

"I like you, Andrea. I want to be near you. I want you in my life for as long as possible," Jin said solemnly, but I could tell his mind was elsewhere.

His words struck deep into my soul, and my voice choked up when I realised what he was actually saying; he wanted me around. He wasn't going to play me, or pass me around.

He felt the same attraction I did for him.

And that was the first time I knew for certain that Jin had stolen my heart. He had well and truly caught me in his net, and I was more than happy to comply.

"Stay around for a while?" Jin asked, finally, his eyes locking on mine, dowsing me with the strange magic that made me submit to something.

I sighed, feigning reluctance, which made him smirk. I tilted my head to the side, and smiled.

"Maybe. It all depends on whether you intend to ditch me after you sort out your problems," I replied, watching his eyes flicker with anxiety.

They really were an amazing invention, his eyes. They had the ability to reflect all the emotions that were normally shown in the face without so much as a lip twitch; it was incredible to watch. It was also a little unnerving, because his face always had this strong, aggressive expression plastered over it. The contrast with his eyes was enough to make _anyone _cautious.

"I won't leave you." Jin promised.

His said it with such certainty I was taken aback a little. I wasn't used to someone having such a strong interest in me.

"I know," I murmured, catching my breath as he advanced on me and placed two soft hands on either side of my face, "So, friends?"

Jin smiled at this; I was getting used to his grin now, so it wasn't so much of a surprise anymore. "Friends," he confirmed.

At this point, I heard the lock in the flat door rattle, and a rather loud, bouncy voice call:

"Andrea? How was the cake? It's a new recipe, you know!"

I blushed as Jin raised his eyebrows in curiosity. I mouthed "Nan" and he nodded his head. I shuffled over to greet her, Jin following closely behind. I loved how he had slyly managed to manoeuvre the conversation away from how he had actually got into the flat in the first place, but I held my tongue: he had probably shown enough emotion for one day.

And besides, I didn't mind him being there.

I wasn't _complaining_.

"Hey Nan," I smiled at her, leaning against the living room doorframe.

She opened her mouth to speak, when her eyes lifted up to the figure behind me. She raised her eyebrows, and a cheeky smile danced across her lips. I looked down at the tatty carpet, in embarrassment.

"Who's this?" she asked, a hidden enigma in her voice that made me want to die right there on the spot.

"Jin Kazama," Jin leant forward, and held out his hand for Nan to shake it.

She did, her eyes turning into little slits of humorous suspicion. I gritted my teeth.

"So, _Jin_," Nan said his name like it was some sort of secret code, and Jin and I exchanged glances (he was trying hard not to laugh at her witty demeanour) "Are you staying for dinner?""Actually, Jin has to leave. He's having dinner at his own house," I interrupted before Nan had the opportunity to give Jin Twenty-Questions.

My grandmother opened her mouth to object, but I grabbed Jin by the vest and dragged him to the flat door.

I practically pushed him out, which made him frown.

"It's nothing personal. I just don't trust _her_," I nodded behind me.

Jin gave me a conspiratorial smile, before descending the flat stairs.

Like a lost lover, I dashed over to the stairs' banister and watched him disappear from sight.

Then I sighed, shaking my head in wonder.

"Why do you do this to me, Jin?" I mumbled.

My head already thinking about my new 'best friend' - he'd left me for about five seconds and he was already penetrating my thoughts - I airily sat down at the tiny kitchen table, where Nan had placed a weird exotic pastry for us to devour. I picked at the crust, and sighed, happily.

"He's hot." she piped up suddenly, taking a bite out of her bread and butter.

I looked at her, and laughed.

"Ergh, Nan, please don't even go there, please! How old are you?!" I cried, laughing so hard I could barely eat.

"He was! You've done lucky there, Andrea," she said stubbornly.

And I knew she was right.

Jin had picked me, out of all the girls he could have had. It was baffling and pleasing at the same time!

I bit into the pastry, chewed thoughtfully, and smiled.

That was when my eyes fell on something that ruined my entire day completely.

I didn't want to freak my Nan out, so I waited until we had both finished eating and she was going to take a shower, before investigating.

I bent down to where my eyes had first discovered the feather, and picked it up gingerly.

It was a demonic black, with silver specks sparkling in the light from the terrible bulbs in the kitchen.

As soon as I touched it, my heart froze. This was no ordinary feather, and I knew that.

But I had yet to see a bird with feather's like that, either. It looked like the sort of bird that had flown from the Underworld itself, reeking havoc and hell on those who dared to interfere with it.

I shuddered, and tucked the feather deep into my skirt pocket. It wasn't touching my skin anymore, but it still felt heavy in my pocket, like I was holding stolen gold.

It was just a feather ?!

Why was I overreacting so badly?!

But then again, Nan didn't own any pets: how had it got there? Especially considering she had a weird hatred for birds!

Nothing added up, and if perplexed me.

Jin disappearing, and then reappearing out of nowhere. Ling's explanation about Jin, that she didn't finish and had avoided finishing. And now this strange feather that had appeared.

I ran a hand down my face, and snorted.

"You need some sleep!" I warned myself, realising how crazy I sounded.

There wasn't anything _wrong _with Jin……

Was there?

I had a dream that night. I couldn't remember most of it. There was only one part I was sure of, because when I woke it was clear and glowing red in my mind:

A pair of eyes.

Rimmed in black, with no pupils; just the pure white sclera, and gold irises.

And I would be lying if I said I wasn't completely and utterly terrified.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm still here.**

The following week was probably the best week of my entire life.

Remember, I lived a very _lonely _life before Jin….

No-one at school could really get used to him hanging out with the new girl though, so wherever we went, we were stared at and whispered about. It would've made me self-conscious had Jin not always given me a reassuring nod, which filled my heart with a desire to touch him and kiss him.

I restrained myself though; I was just beginning to get under his skin, I didn't want to ruin it by giving in to the sexual urges.

Well I _was _a fifteen year old girl who hadn't had a boyfriend ever, I was entitled to some sort of boy-craving!

Ling got all flustered and excited as soon as we walked into school together, side by side. He had waited for me outside the flat building, dark and enigmatic as usual, and I couldn't help but be shocked that he was going to school with me. He barely knew me, he barely spoke! Yet, there he was, waiting for me everyday outside of Nan's flat building, not seeming bothered at all by how early he had to get up to meet me. I could never really get my head around him! He was living up to his 'lone wolf' nickname perfectly!

Surprisingly, Christie wasn't all that bothered but the sudden friendship Jin and I had struck up. She was _happy _about it, exactly, but she had moved on to flirting with this English kid, Steve Fox. He was very good-looking, and matched Christie's vanity with precision: they were the perfect couple.

Julia never really remarked on anything. Even she couldn't help looking up at us quizzically from time to time, her head full of imposing questions that she wouldn't ever ask on the account of her being too polite.

Sheesh, I never thought I'd say manners were annoying!

Jin wasn't only good for a bus-buddy though - he was always there, ready to help me when I needed it.

Which was most of the time…

I kind of felt bad, because he never asked anything in return. When I asked him about it though, he had muttered something about just liking my company, before continuing his speech on quadratic equations.

Nan was ecstatic; she knew how much of a loser I was at my last three schools, and she was happy that I finally found someone who made me happy.

Because of my too-cheerful grandmother _always _corning Jin when he walked me up to her, Jin had eaten dinner with us three times so far, and I doubted she was going to stop there.

Luckily for me, Nan was a great cook!

So, so far there hadn't been any problems concerning Jin and I. We hung out, we talked (or, rather, I talked, her listened and asked questions occasionally) and went by our normal lives, day after day.

And I was happy.

Until the Friday where everything went _incredibly _wrong….

"Where's Jin?" Ling asked, holding open the lunchroom door for me to walk through.

"Gym," I replied, "He's been a little strange lately, more family problems I think?"

I looked at her when I said that, and I just managed to catch the flinch she gave off.

"Yeah, he has lots of those….look! Macaroni and cheese today!" she excitedly, grabbing a big bowl and slapping it on her tray so hard it made me jump.

I frowned at the pasta and cheese mess, and opted for the salad. I was just asking the lunch lady for a bottle of water, when someone cleared their throat behind me.

"Excuse me for a moment," I said to the bored-looking woman behind the cash register, and turned to face whoever wanted my attention.

I raised an eyebrow, as a stony-faced Lili took a step forward, closing that vital space between us.

"Um…hi?" I tried, trying to ignore the poison in her eyes.

"Yeah. Hi," she twisted a handful of her blonde hair, and looked me up and down.

I felt a twinge of self-consciousness flood my veins as her eyes became amused at my features. Compared to her beautiful, slender self, I was Dumbo.

Dumbo on a _good _day, I hoped.

"Can I help you?" I asked, searching for the motive at this sudden meeting.

She smirked, and swung her hair over her shoulder.

"I'm just here to tell you to back off. Jin, is mine." she said simply.

She was so ferocious, so sure of herself…..and so incredibly _wrong _that I burst out into laughter in her face, which made her turn a deadly red. Even when I saw the smoke practically shooting out of her ears, I couldn't stop the bout of giggles that had overcome me. I could see Ling in the background shaking her head warningly, but I couldn't cease! My stomach hurt, and tears streamed down my face. No longer did I admire this blonde beauty; in fact, I sort of pitied her.

She truly thought she had a chance with Jin.

Little did she know he could barely remember her on his off-days, and even on his on-days she was another mere girl in his cluster of groupies.

Clenching her jaw, Lili flexed her hand impatiently, and I finally stopped laughing. I saw Ling's eyes flash with worry, as Lili grabbed a handful of my lilac school shirt and pulled my close to her. Her blue eyes glittered with anger, which made me gulp nervously.

"You really don't understand how schools work, do you? I am the Queen, you are the sewer rat which I narrowly avoid. And all of a sudden you think you can rise and speak to someone of Jin's persona? Are you stupid _and _ugly on purpose, or does it come naturally?!"

The venom in her voice penetrated my newly-grown pride, and no longer did I feel like laughing at Lili ignorance.

I felt like crying at her truth.

Seeing my crest-fallen face, she laughed evilly and pushed me away from her, making me crash into that thing you pull your trays along in canteen's. Pain rushed up my hip, but I sighed because I thought the threat by Lili was done.

When would I ever get something right?

"Stay away from Jin, you never-was! Unless you want things to get ugly!" Lili then picked up a tray and _threw _it at me.

Yes, she threw it.

WHAT SORT OF SICK BITCH THROWS AN _EMPTY _TRAY?

Come on, at least put something on it!

I dodged it easily, and walked right into the bottle of cider she had thrown directly after the tray. It smashed on my cheek, sending tiny shards of glass into my skin and scratching it. I heard the gasp of everyone in the lunchroom, but no-one got up to help me as blood spilled from my wound onto the floor. The pain was excruciating. It felt like a wolverine had clawed me several times, not like a bottle cut at all.

"Ha! Whose laughing now you stupid little whor-"

"Lili?"

I looked up at where the brooding voice had come from, and there was Jin, standing tall and furious over the suddenly feeble blonde girl.

"H-hi Jin," she stared down at her shoes.

"Never touch Andrea. Never, ever."

I frowned, worried.

Not because he was defending me. I expected that. It was his voice when he said that sentence that freaked me out; it sounded _demonic_. His voice was low already, but this time it sounded like something had possessed him and had made his voice dark and more raspy.

He shook his head, as though he were trying to shake the demon-voice out. When he was satisfied, he left a dumb-struck Lili and came over to me, who must've looked utterly _ridiculous_ with blood dripping down my face and a confused expression to match.

He immediately placed his hand on my cheek, applying pressure, and led me out of the lunchroom to the nurse's office. Blood was seeping through his fingers, but I didn't tell him because he had such a deathly aura about him I felt compelled to shut up.

No-one was in the office, so he patched up my cut himself. He did it expertly and painlessly, but he couldn't heal up the interior damage Lili had done. I sighed, resignedly, and held my head in my hands.

Jin didn't say anything. He stood above me, distracted but refusing to leave.

I didn't realise I was crying until he crouched down, and wiped away the tears that had fallen. He looked into my eyes, and I expected to see concern.

I jerked back a little at what I said instead: a black, hollowness, like he had no irises at all. He saw my face distort, and blinked, facing downwards so I couldn't look at him.

"Jin….?" I reached out to touch him gently on the cheek, but he got up quickly, and bolted out of the nurse's door.

Helplessly, I cried even louder, because I was hurting so bad inside and now the one person who could fix me was gone.

Wow.

My life _sucked_.

*

"_I'm gonna get you, Andrea!" Lili screamed, lashing out at me with her hand. _

_Weirdly enough, her hands had grown long nails, so they were now lethal talons ready to scrape my face away. I ducked, and her hands launched into the wall behind me. Brick chipped away and I screamed, running away from her swinging blonde head, that had warped into a disgustingly pale face, with those dead gold eyes that had been in my dreams before. Her teeth sprouted fangs and she lunged at me, scratching a massive cut in my back, making me shriek in pain._

_I fell down, and felt her loom over me. _

"_No!" I cried, turning over and seeing her bend down, ready to rip my throat out with her teeth. _

"_Please!" I tried again._

"_Stay away from him!" she roared. _

_I screamed, petrified. _

"JIN!"

I woke up, crying out for help. It was funny how it was Jin's name that I was calling. Not my father's, or my Nan's. It was purely Jin who could help me, who could save me from Lili.

I shook my head, and clutched my duvet to my chest, shivering. I then reached over and took my phone in my hands, the cool silver comforting. I flipped it open, and sent Jin a single text message.

I was unsure whether he'd receive it or not, but sending those fatal three words took a huge weight off of my shoulder's:

**I need you. **

I sent them, and sighed, flopping back down on my pillow. I was so hot I was surprised I hadn't spontaneously combusted; I got out of bed, careful so I didn't smack my head on the wall, and yanked open the large window just above the headboard.

I sighed, lost, as I gazed out at the blackened sky and the tall sets of flats surrounding my grandma's. The moon shone brightly ahead, shedding some light on the dank buildings; a single star sparkled in the sky, bright and beautiful.

I closed my eyes, and let a final tear fall from my eye onto the window sill.

I turned my back, ready to attempt at sleeping again, when I heard something.

I whipped back around in time to see something dark flutter past my window. I frowned, coming over to the window once more, and peering out.

It was a particularly big bird, so I was curious it could fly so gracefully. My frown deepened as I looked side-to-side for this bird.

Nothing.

I shook my head, snorting at my hallucination.

Nethertheless I felt a little threatened by the open window, and lifted my hand to close it, when _another _hand came through the blackness of the night and touched the handle.

What did I do?

I screamed.

I screamed like a _girl_.

And then the entire figure emerged from the darkness, and my heart stopped pounding hard against my ribcage as the figure became familiar.

It was Jin.

"How the _hell _did you get through my window?!" was my first response.

I looked from the window to him, and back, waiting for the explanation.

"You needed me. Here I am." he said shortly, walking around in my cupboard-bedroom curiously.

He had never been in my bedroom at my Nan's before, so it wasn't completely creepy that he was surveying where I slept.

It was only _half _creepy…

"How did you get up here? It's like the fourth floor?" I tried again, this time taking him by the elbow and swinging him round to face me.

He looked at me, and sighed.

"I climbed. I'm a good climber." he lied.

"Hmm," was all I said, before climbing back onto my bed and sitting cross-legged.

I didn't believe him for a moment, but I wasn't in the mood for exploration into the unknown, so I just picked at my pillow case, not bothering to speak anymore. Jin sat on the edge of my bed, staring at me.

"Quit staring!" I snapped after a few minutes.

Guiltily, he stared at his hands instead.

I felt bad after that, and tried to make amends.

"It's just….I'm tired of all the mystery. You've found out tons about me, and my family, yet I still know nothing about you." I admitted.

"Family problems," he said simply, as if that fatal sentence corrected things.

I shook my head, resignedly.

"It's not enough. It's just not enough. I don't know you, Jin, and yet I feel this pulse run through my veins every time I look at you. Like, we're somehow meant to be," I gave a small laugh, and shook my head, "What am I saying? It doesn't matter?"

I half-expected him to laugh in my face and jump right out the window, telling me how utterly pathetic I was for thinking he and I had some sort of bond.

Instead, he surprised me.

He leant forward, took my face in his hands, and kissed me.

He kissed me.

Jin Kazama, kissed _me_.

And man, it was such a wonderful kiss, I didn't want it to end.

His lips were soft, yet firm, and his breath was so warm, it filled my body with a rogue delight that made my pessimistic view on life disappear.

I thought he was about to pull away, when he tightened his grip around my waist, and pressed his body into mine lightly.

I flung my arms across his neck, and brought him in closer.

Before I could even think things through properly (I mean, we hardly knew each other!) we were both tearing at our clothes, determined not to let each other go.

The pure craving in his eyes was enough to make me cry; never had someone wanted me so badly in all of my life.

And yet here was the most beautiful soul to walk into my life, ready to please and pleasure me.

"Tell me if we should stop," he whispered, kissing my neck and then my collarbone gently.

"No. Don't. I want you." I replied, kissing him on the forehead.

His eyes twinkled in response, and I knew at that moment that if I lost 'it' to anyone, it'd be Jin.

And I did lose 'it'.

It was the most pleasurable, passionate, down-right _breathtaking _event ever.

And the best part was when it was over, Jin didn't get up and put on his clothes, ready to leave. Instead, he looked over at my alarm clock, noted the time, and wrapped his strong arms around me protectively. We didn't have to worry about school, it was Saturday the next day.

I was more worried about my Nan's response if she walked in on us half-naked in the same bed….

Now, it wasn't like my Nan was Little Miss Virgin. In fact, she probably did 'it' younger than me! But she had elected herself my guardian and would feel compelled to give me the stupid lecture on "you're-far-too-young-to-be-thinking-about-sexual-activity-blah-blah-blah".

"….Andrea?" I heard Jin whisper.

Smiling to myself stupidly, I turned around in the bed to face him. I had never seen his face so soft before; Ling would've had a heart attack from shock had she seen him in this mood. He smiled, and stroked my hair.

"There are some things about me that you won't understand yet. Some things that I can't tell you as of now. But, soon, it will all make sense. I promise." he then took my hand in his, and together we fell asleep.

And I wanted us to stay like that, for me to stay in his arms for eternity.

But life wasn't that kind, was it?

And things were about to get a lot crazier….


	5. Chapter 5

**Angels & Demons**

"……..you and Jin?!" Christie shrieked at me as soon as I slumped down in science class, utterly shattered from the hectic weekend I'd just had. I completely missed the first part of he sentence, so I just waved my hand nonchalantly and groaned. I dropped my head onto the science lab table and closed my eyes.

I woke up on Saturday, certain that the night before had been a dream. So I certainly didn't expect to sit up, stretch, and smack Jin right in the face as he sat up too.

"Oh God!" I shrieked, immediately dabbing at the invisible bruise I had given him.

He had smiled, and took my flapping hands in his. I felt myself flush a pretty pink as he pulled me on top of him, and sighed in satisfaction.

"Why does this feel so right?" he wondered out loud, touching my lips gently with his index finger.

I stared down into his glittering eyes, feeling a wave of emotion overtake me for a moment. It was a strange sensation, like my heart was alight, but nonetheless I didn't mind it. As long as I was with him, I was ok.

And I spent that weekend with him, talking, laughing, explaining, running, swinging, and all the other verbs associated with good times.

We were both flushed with tiredness and excitement at seeing each other once more Monday morning, and now half-way through the day my splitting headache wasn't much better.

Here's a tip: don't go two days with only four hours of sleep each night.

It's awful for the complexion!

"Oh, Andrea, I'm so happy for you!" Ling squealed, slapping me on the shoulder elatedly.

"Ow." I moaned miserably, as the teacher drawled on about the Pythagorean theorem.

It was a science class; why the HELL was this person talking about _triangles_?

"So….did he ask you? How far have you gone? Are you official?" Chrisite added, the jealousy viciously prominent in her voice.

I mumbled "Don't know, not far, yeah" and wrinkled my nose up in frustration.

I think I was going insane: I was beginning to get _attached _to Jin. When I was around him, my headache's disappeared and I never felt happier. However, when I was away from him - for at least four hours at school, minus sleeping times (he couldn't spend nights with me. He didn't think it appropriate anymore.) the pain tore at my head ferociously and all I wanted was to scream out in agony.

I didn't really understand why he didn't want to stay with me at night. He stayed way past ten in the evening anyway, what would those early morning hours really change? And I'd be so much happier!

But he had changed his state of mind sexually since that Friday where we were formally a couple: he wasn't yearning so much for my touch. He was pleased with just my presence, which annoyed me.

_Now _he decided to go all gentlemanly?!

"Congratulations," was all Julia said, but I could tell she meant it.

Christie, on the other hand, would not let the subject die. In fact, she was desperately trying to revive it, making me want to kick her.

"Lili's going to be mad; don't you care? She totally owned you last week in the lunchroom-"

"CHRISTIE." I cried, slamming my fist down on the table, making her, Ling and Ling jump, "Shut. Up."

She froze, as though I had shot her through the chest with an arrow. She began spluttering and getting flustered, ready to defend herself, when I held up a hand, irritably, and said snappishly:

"I don't need you on my back right now, ok? Leave it be."

And with that, as though the bell could hear the finality in my words, it rang sharply, signalling fourth lesson. I jumped up, and bolted for the door, bashing into the back of Julia as I scrambled over everyone. The atmosphere was so tight and frustrated in the lab, and on top of that was my daunting headache; I needed a breather.

As if he read my mind, Jin was waiting patiently outside the door, watching me curiously as I marched ahead of him. I heard his soft footsteps follow far behind me as I stomped down the stairs all the way to the ground floor, swung open the door to the courtyard, and flopped down on a cool stone bench, head in my hands.

Jin silently sat down next to me, waiting for an explanation.

"Headache." I mumbled bluntly.

"Get more sleep," he replied, as blunt as I was, but he reached over and took my pale face in his hands.

He kissed me quickly on my lips, as though a parent were watching, before entwining his fingers with mine and pulling me along, back inside.

"You have GCSE RE," he informed me when I complained that I was too tired for lessons.

"So?" I muttered, trying to dig my heels in the ground to stop him pulling me.

Such an idiotic thing to do; he was a fighter, he trained everyday at the gym.

What chance did a feeble, worn-out fifteen year old girl have against this mysterious strong-as-an-ox male?

Not that much.

"Andrea, stop sulking! You're good at RE, I don't understand the problem. Maybe I shouldn't stop by so late anymore…."

"No!" I cried, and his eyebrows shot to the heavens, "I mean, no, I'm fine, look - 'Yay! RE!',"

I smiled meekly and he gave a short laugh. He kissed my forehead, and gave me a soft prod in the back towards Mrs Young's RE classroom.

I sighed, glanced over my shoulder at his stern face, and opened the door.

"Andrea! Glad you could join us!" Mrs Young grinned happily.

I couldn't help but smile back; she had this weird gleeful effect over everyone. She was a small woman, with grey-brown hair, thin-rimmed glasses and awful dress sense; but it was those very qualities that made her personality so goddamn amazing! She was the best teacher I had ever had, and coming from a chick that had been to over eight schools in her entire lifetime, that's an achievement!

"Sorry I'm late, Miss, I was held up," I said apologetically, slotting myself down in-between Steve Fox and Marshall Law.

Both pleasant enough, but not very talkative about subjects I could endeavour in; they liked cars, phones, trainers.

I liked everything else?

"Now class," Mrs Young began, and the class respectfully fell silent.

I wasn't the only one who loved Mrs Young - the entire population of Sangrey High did.

She took the lid off her red whiteboard marker, and wrote the words "Demons" in capital letters on the board behind her. I frowned curiously. I had never encountered such a controversial subject in RE before.

"Whoa, Miss, what kind of demon's are we talking here?" Marshall called out, elbowing me in the shoulder as he stuck his hand up.

How stupid he was; he put his hand up whilst he was speaking?!

MORON.

"I'm talking demon's from the devil himself, Mr Law. Please turn the textbooks in front of you to page eleven, and I would like you all to look at the picture on the left,"

We obeyed. Generously (cough, cough) Steve slapped the book in the middle of the table so I could see.

Had I been eating or drinking anything at the time, I would've retched immediately.

Or spat it all back up in the case of liquids.

There, staring up at me, were the golden eyes from my dreams. The same dark, glittering gleam. I wasn't sure whether to be fascinated, repulsed or confused.

Or maybe I was all three?!

"Andrea, are you alright?" Marshall asked, shuffling away from me in case I threw up.

"Andrea?" Mrs Young turned her head towards me, and I shook my own hair, still staring at the picture. Those poisonous eyes were haunting, and I could feel my heart freezing as I looked at them.

Then there were the rest of the features: the thick, brazen horns hanging over the demonically inked forehead. Thick, black, bird-like wings sprouted from the back of the creature on the page, and I experienced my very first flashback:

The feather I found at my Nan's.

It was very, very, _very _similar to the one on this demon.

"….Andrea?"

I found myself being shaken by the shoulder's by Ling, and I heard someone mumbling whether I should be slapped. Drowsy from bewilderment, I shook my head, and pressed my hand gently on the lips of this particular demon.

The dark gleam in the eyes was too familiar, and it unsettled me.

"Andrea, are you with us?" Mrs Young quizzed concerned, her eyes narrowed in frustration.

"This demon - what is it?" I asked, quietly, stroking the silkiness of the page, trying to fight the chills that ricocheted up my spine.

Mrs Young cracked a smile, and wrote on the board "Half-demon's". I frowned.

"I'm glad you have queried. A half-demon, is a possessive gene that supposedly exists in young males. Passed down from generation to generation, the gene is a curse, which denigrates the human soul and changes it into that very picture at certain times." Mrs Young explained.

I slowly glanced down at the photo once more, and breathed in and out calmly.

I raised my shaky hand, and Mrs Young nodded for me to continue.

"What times do they change?" I whispered, mentally slapping myself as my subconscious began piecing together a theory that fit perfectly, but was hard on the heart.

Mrs Young tapped her chin thoughtfully. I stared at her, waiting.

"Normally through times of anger, times of impatience, times of anguish and most importantly, times of desire. A half-demon has the emotions of a human, but it is magnified by the gene. Whenever the demon hurts, it acts out on its hurt. That's why demon's prefer to act alone, walk alone, _be _alone. That way they live their human lives with as little interference with the demon as possible. Without the cluster of emotions friendships form, the demon is settled inside the unfortunate human."

I tried to process the information, but I couldn't.

I couldn't _think_.

I couldn't _see_.

My vision went blurry, spots appeared in my vision, dark red spots that knotted together to make the shape of the demon in the textbook.

"Miss, can I please be excused-"

But I didn't even make it past the front row to the door.

I heard a horrible, demonic roar in my ears, and I collapsed.

*

I awoke with a cool flannel on my head.

"Ouch." I groaned, sitting up on the nurse's bed, clutching at my tailbone.

When I hit the floor, I had smashed my lower back onto something hard - what it was I couldn't recall - and it stung. Tears spilled over my eyelids as I looked around the bare nurse's' office.

Where was Jin?

Where were my friends, Ling, Christie, Julia?

Where was Mrs Young?

I closed my eyes, sighing, and leaned back on the bed once more. I was scared that by shutting out the light, the demonic roar would return, along with the vivid eyes and the awful horns…..

"Impossible!" I breathed, sitting up again as though I had been electrocuted.

This time, there _was _someone standing in the office: Jin.

But I wasn't filled with relief.

For once, no happy emotion overtook me as I stared into his seemingly harmless face. I remained in pain and fearful over what I suspected.

Half of me felt guilty; how could I suspect the boy I loved of being a demon?! That was relationship suicide!

However, the _other _half of me, the half that wasn't blinded by love, had slotted all the pieces together nicely, and it all made sense.

Jin's disappearances, his 'family problems', Ling - his only family friend - avoiding questions on him, the feather in my kitchen, the way he had got into my house all those times…..

And the tattoo.

My eyes widened, and Jin arched an eyebrow curiously.

I knew the demonic ink on the demon's forehead looked familiar! In fact, it looked like a piece from Jin's tattoo on his arm. And the time where the tattoo had spread to his back? I hadn't seen the return of the tattoo since.

Why hadn't I recognised this earlier?!

I couldn't be blamed though: I was blinded by love. When you really like someone, you see past all the logic and only see the good times.

Now, however, the good times were clearly over.

"Andrea?" Jin called, coming over to me and taking the flannel off my head.

To his surprise, I flinched at his touch. He frowned, but I tried for a smile. The worse thing I could do would be to provoke the demon inside of him. I didn't want to get eaten, or skinned alive, or whatever demon's did to their prey.

"Are you ok? You fainted, I heard," Jin asked quietly, looking down at his hands as thought to control himself.

"Yeah. I think I overdid it, that's all. Not enough sleep," I mumbled.

We both shifted uncomfortably, and the serene essence of the room disappeared. It was now tense, thick and dubious. Unlike Jin and I. His eyes flickered up to mine, and I stared at him, mentally taunting him to show me his true colours.

I was inquisitive, I had to admit. What would a real demon in the flesh look like? What would he speak like? What would he act like?

And Jin wouldn't hurt me, it was Jin!

Or was it?

Hadn't Mrs Young been saying how when the demon took over, the human was pushed to the sidelines?

"What were you studying in RE?" Jin asked, trying to break the hopelessly impenetrable ice.

"Demons." I replied flintily, and I saw that dangerous spark in his eye return.

It might have seemed like I was provoking him, but I was angry. I felt betrayed. I didn't understand how he could love me, but only _half _of him could?

Was there no way to exorcise the beast? Could he never be saved?

"Oh. Well…what did you think of them?" Jin asked, uncomfortably.

"They were ok. I think I might have a picnic with one of them tomorrow," I narrowed my eyes as Jin looked away, awkwardly, "What do you think I thought of them?! They have the cruellest eyes, a vicious physique and horrible ink splattered all across their bodies. What could you possibly find good in that?"

And I regretted the words as soon as they exited my mouth. The look of hurt in Jin's eyes was unmistakable, and as if he didn't feel an outcast already, now I made him feel like a monster.

How could I have said that, knowing what I knew?!

"I should get back," Jin said, his voice wavering.

"No, Jin, Jin, come back, please…"

But he was gone. The nurse's door shut behind him, and I stared at the space where he had been standing.

Jin made have been a demon in the flesh, but he was harmless.

If anyone was evil, it was me for saying the very words that crushed his heart in the palm of my hand.

"Nice one, Andrea," I murmured to myself.

*

"Can I help you?"

Mrs Xiaoyu was nothing like what I thought she would be. Whereas Ling was spunky, fresh and ready for anything, her mother was _punk_. She had thick black hair with pink highlights, was wearing a Harajuku black lace tutu with white converse's. I blinked, rapidly, once at the clothing, once at the hair, once at the _nose stud _and once at the attitude.

It was weird; like Ling and her Mum had swapped positions, and instead of being the moody teenager she was supposed to be, she was this peppy chick.

And the rest is history.

"Um…yeah, yes, you can. Is Ling in?" I peered hopefully through the doorway, looking for Ling to spring out at any moment.

Mrs Xiaoyu studied me suspiciously, and said rather snappishly that she had never seen me before.

"I'm new," I spluttered, surprised at the rudeness of an adult.

She sighed, as though I were an nuisance, and was about to slam the door 'kindly' in my face, when Ling finally emerged from behind her mother, flushing red.

"I got it, Mum," she insisted.

Her Mum gave me a filthy look, before returning back inside Ling's large house - mansion more like!

Ling turned to me, embarrassed.

"She's a little…"

"Anti-social?" I interjected.

She smiled, and I really wanted to smile to. But I couldn't! I just couldn't bring myself to smiling; not in the mood I was in. I was so confused and I needed the truth.

I didn't want anything else but the truth.

"So, what brings you here?" she asked, leading me down her garden path and to a wooden bench.

Her front lawn was enviously beautiful; the grass was just that extra bit greener, the fountains that extra bit astounding and the atmosphere felt calmer and more serene.

"I need you to tell me something. And I want the truth," I mumbled.

Ling raised her eyebrows, as if to proceed.

I bit my lip, struggling for the right words. How did I ask what I wanted to? How could I just come out with it, just like that!

Seeing my hesitation, I could've sworn I saw her eyes darken, but she lifted a hand and placed it on my shoulder comfortingly.

I let out a big sigh, and groaned.

"Is Jin a demon?" I said quickly, watching her hopeful expression fall.

I somehow guessed she knew this day was coming, the day where she couldn't cover reality.

She shifted uncomfortably on the bench, and I noticed that the happy vibe of the front lawn had faded. Now, a horrible wind blew in, making my teeth chatter. It was as though the demon's themselves knew we were conversing about them.

"Why do you ask?" Ling tried making her voice sound stern, but it wavered and I knew I was correct; Jin was half demon.

But I wasn't going to rest until I heard those very words exit her mouth. I needed to hear it, to revel in it, to understand that it wasn't me going insane. I didn't believe in demons, but things had been a little distorted lately, so to be completely honest I couldn't give a damn about the science behind all of this.

Sometimes, science was wrong.

Well, it normally _wasn't _but that's not the point!

"I think he is. I found a feather in my house, black, like a demon's wing. Jin gets in through my window, which is four storeys up, but I never really questioned how. The tattoo on his arm matches the one on the demon in Mrs Young's book, and I sometimes see darkness in his eyes. A sort of moroseness that scares me,"

I found myself blabbing out all the weirdness in my life as soon as Jin arrive, telling her everything in detail. She nodded patiently as my voice rose and lowered, and she handed me a tissue softly when I began to cry, making my eyeliner run.

I wiped my eyes, and Ling's frown deepened. She twirled her hair, thoughtfully, before sighing.

"You're a lot more observant that I figured. Every other girl didn't really ntoice. They just thought he was hot," she sounded sorrowful at this, I shook my head, not understanding.

"Didn't you listen to Miss?" Ling prompted, standing up, "Half demon's prefer not to have relationships. It provokes emotions. And Jin is sensitive about his heritage, he thinks he's a monster,"

Well, didn't _I _feel guilty?! I had called him that very thing! I had punctured Jin's soul even more with my spite! I hung my head, woefully, as Ling made her way back into her house.

"Ling." I stood up, and she turned slowly towards me.

Her face was sad, and worried all at the same time. My hands were shaking and my eyes were filling with tears.

Supposing my horrible words caused Jin to do something drastic? Like kill himself! Could demon's even do that?

"I need to hear it. I need to hear the words, I need closure," I whispered, certain she hadn't heard me.

But she had.

She let out a remorseful sigh, and said, bluntly;

"Jin Kazama is half-demon,"

With that, she stepped back into her house, and closed the door.

As the door slammed shut, I felt like something had slammed shut in my heart. I didn't know whether to cry or laugh or call Jin immediately and confront him…..

One thing was certain though:

Jin was a demon.

Which meant his parents or grandparents must be demons too.

He really _did _have family problems!


	6. Chapter 6

**Um…Pass? **

I walked home, lost.

No, I actually _was _lost.

I had no idea how to get back to my Nan's from Ling's. I stumbled around on nameless streets, waiting to get kidnapped by an old guy or stabbed by a person of young society.

I took our my phone, and ran my finger over the screen.

Jin hadn't called.

Well, I didn't really expect him too after being so hurtful, but still, I mean, it's not like I meant any of it! I was just angry at him not telling me, at having to find out that my boyfriend was a demon from an RE teacher. It was ridiculous! And _he _was the one who was mad?! I should have been fuming!

I sucked in my breath, trying to stop the tears that had begun flowing down my cheeks. I ignored the odd looks I received from strangers, not even bothering to wipe my wet face: what was the point?

I had practically isolated the only person that could protect and love me; why bother about how unattractive with a bright red nose and eyes.

I stood on the corner of an empty street, feeling a chill run up my spine. It was getting late, and I could feel the atmosphere darkening already.

It reminded me of what my Dad used to say:

"Things smile in the day, beings go bump in the night,"

I shuddered at this thought, and took out my phone once more, and to my astonishment, it buzzed.

Jin was ringing me.

Flustered, I pressed the 'answer' button so hard the phone dropped from my hand and tumbled to the floor.

"No, no, no!" I shrieked, scrambling around on the dirty floor, checking my phone was intact.

I sighed with relief - not a scratch - and pressed the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" I breathed, waiting for Jin's beautiful voice to waft through the phone, like Grandma's cookies.

Well, _my _Grandma's cookies. Some Grandma's can't cook, they prefer a good old Pot Noodle.

"You know about me." he said bluntly.

I frowned, and bit my lip, not sure what to say. How did I reply to that?!

"I understand if you don't want to see me anymore…" he began.

"What? No! No, I don't want you to leave, Jin, that's the last thing I want!" I interrupted him.

There was a horrible silence that broke my heart with every second of it. I bit my lip, and rubbed a hand down my face. I didn't know what else to say: what more was to be covered?

Jin Kazama was a demon.

He could possibly kill me, if he was provoked.

"Jin.." I sighed, knowing what I needed to do, "I need to see you. Come to mine tonight, please?"

He didn't answer for a while and I had to check my phone to make sure he hadn't hung up. I had spent about thirty minutes listening to air once, unaware that the person on the line had hung up.

"Ok." he said finally, alarmingly blunt.

_Then _he hung up.

No goodbye. No 'later gator' or anything witty like that. Just the stupid dialling tone that injected itself into my head, replaying over and over like a summer song that is actually awful, but keeps you amused for a while. Like Selena Gomez's _Naturally _or something like that. Maybe it was normally and not naturally?

I found myself at a deserted bus stop, staring at the bus post with all the stopping bus numbers plastered on the plastic sign. I sat down on the red plastic bench, and felt an icy breeze brush past my ears.

"You are the thunder and I am the lightning….." I whispered to myself, leaning my head on the bus shelter glass and closing my eyes.

*

I heard a tap on the window at about twelve-thirty pm. I sat bolt upright and scrambled out of bed. Unsurprisingly I smacked my foot on the bedroom wall and bit my lip to stop myself from screaming like a girl.

Even though I technically _was _a girl.

Hobbling over to the window, I pulled it open and peered out.

Nothing.

Just air and blackness.

I frowned and called his name out into the chilling abyss, but I didn't even see a flicker of movement. I stepped back, my brow furrowing deeper. I contemplated climbing out onto the window ledge and looking for the withdrawn demon, but decided against it. With my apparent luck at the moment, I wasn't going to play with fire.

So I grabbed the window handle and was about to close it, when a hand crept out of the darkness and clutched my wrist.

I let out a scream, but ceased as soon as the grip loosened slightly, and the hand became softer and familiar.

I stood by the window, watching him cautiously as he sat down on my wrinkled bed. I left the window open; what I was about to do would bring a need for a quick escape if it all went amiss.

And it was most likely to do that.

"Jin." I pressed my hand on his bare shoulder (he was shirtless, and I was trying my best to not drool) and I felt him relax a little.

"I need you to do something for me." I said lowly.

He lifted his head, and looked at me, his dark eyes shining hopefully. I bit my lip, suddenly getting second-thoughts about asking my only favour of him. It was dangerous and reckless and probably on the verge of getting me killed.

But I needed to know.

I needed to _see_.

So I asked the multi-million-dollar question:

"Will you change for me?"

Yes, it sounds stupid from your perspective, but to be honest I was the sort of person who didn't really believe with their heart unless they saw it. And I needed to see Jin, the most beautiful male I had ever seen, turn into the other half of him.

Because I knew it would only make me love him even more.

As soon as I asked the question, though, his eyes turned sullen. He stood up, angrily, and stood inches away from my face. His breath tickled my cheeks. I couldn't look at his eyes - they were like poison pressing into my skin. I stared at my bare feet (which were in desperate need of a manicure. Or pedicure. Which one is the foot one?) and hoped for the answer I wanted. However, I knew he wouldn't ever agree to my request.

"No. Never. Why would you ask this of me?!" he hissed, grabbing my shoulders.

I turned my head away from him, refusing to cry out in pain at his strong grasp.

"Please," I mumbled.

He seemed to slouch at my feeble voice, and with a gentle finger, he lifted my chin so I was looking at him directly.

On seeing my shamed, meek eyes, he sighed and shook his head sadly.

"Why? Why do you want to see me like that?" he asked.

"Because I think I love you." I said, much more confident in saying this than saying the next part, "And because to be certain, I need to see all of you,"

He seemed to consider this.

I held my breath, hoping and wondering what it would be like to touch a demon, to listen to a demon, to _love _a demon…

"If anything." and he looked at me, seriousness coating his eyes, "If anything goes wrong, you get out. I couldn't live with myself if I killed you, Andrea."

He took my hands in his, and I hugged him, tightly. I understood how much he was giving in to show me his true colours. For a moment my opinion differed, and I considered telling him not to worry about it, and how I was hungry for some late night Chinese.

Instead, I kept my mouth zipped, stood a metre or so back from him, and waited. He stared at me for a moment, pained. I felt my heart breaking at the look, and I stepped forward to reassure him.

"Back!" he hissed.

I froze in place, and his masochistic transformation began taking place: his eyes flashed and darkened. Charred sharp horns sprouted from his head, and his hair thickened. Along came those famous tattoos, although they seemed much more threatening this time.

I stepped back, and just when I thought the alteration was complete, he gave out a terrifying cry, the sound of a demon. I held my breath, as he stretched out and two thick, jet black wings sprouted from his broad, muscular back.

I clapped a hand to my throat, horrified, but couldn't look away: I had to bear it. I couldn't let him know I was scared; it would hurt him too much. Chain grew from nowhere and wrapped around Jin's legs. His hands shimmered from their human state, and were replaced with a swollen reddish covered, that looked harder than steel. It was rough and dry, like the shell of a turtle. Out of the shell grew a horn, like that of a unicorns, but nothing as pure as that mythical creature. His fingers shuddered, and exploded into metal fingers, like those of the Grim Reaper.

I stared at him, as his eyes flashed from black to gold, and a monstrous smile widened across his face.

"Jin?" I breathed, my hands shaking from fright.

Jin's breathing became heavier, and heavier, and he stepped towards me. His posture was slouched and aggressive, like he was ready to clobber anyone would stood in his way. I felt my hand grab hold of my door knob, ready to bolt if things got too rough.

He clenched his skeletal hands, and kept advancing on me. My throat closed up and I could barely breathe.

"Jin, are you alright? Remember me, Jin. I'm Andrea." I tried.

"You stand in the path of God. You must be destroyed." he hissed, his wings fluttering behind him.

"Jin! Jin, it's me. Remember, Jin!" I gulped.

He swung for my head, and I screamed, and ducked as his hand took out a large chunk of my bedroom wall. The debris crashed down onto my carpet, and the dust flew everywhere. I coughed and scrambled over my bed, dodging another strike.

"JIN! Jin, remember me. Andrea. JIN!" I shouted his name so loud I was surprised my grandma hadn't woken up.

I fell off the bed just in time to dodge the blow Jin struck on the mattress, ripping it in two almost instantly. I tripped over my over feet as I weaved away from a grapple hold.

"JIN!" I cried, tears streaming down my cheeks.

This was it. This was the day I was to die. Jin would eventually grab me and kill me. He couldn't control himself, or the devil within him. It was all my fault; Jin made it clear it was dangerous for me to ask this of him, and now I was paying for my insolence.

How could I have been so stupid?!

I brushed the tears away, searching for a quick escape. My eyes fell on the only one in the room: the window!

Without thinking twice, I flung myself out of the window into the unkind darkness, my feet landing narrowly on the window ledge. The moon was full and bright, shining down on me as I grabbed the concrete behind me to steady myself. I slid along the thin strip, trying despairingly not to look down. I could see the busy London cars racing past below me, aware that a little girl was about to plummet to her death by an indescribable demon.

"Come on, Andrea, you've got this," I mumbled to myself, looking over to where the window ledge ended.

About two metres away was a metal stairway, used as a surrogate fire escape if needed. If I could reach it in time, I could clamber down the stairs until Jin returned to normal.

Determination in my heart, I quickened my pace.

What happened next was surreal. It was a big, hideous blur that I hoped would never repeat itself for as long as I lived.

Jin flew out of my window, growling so loud and so suddenly I lost my footing on the window sill.

And that was the day Andrea Walker died.

Ha, I'm just kidding.

I didn't die, remarkably, even though I was sure I would when my feet stepped on air and I fell through the sky. Then something grabbed me by the hand. It was strong and firm, unlike Jin, yet like him all the same. I looked up, my eyes filled with tears that were dripping off my chin, and saw Jin, still in his devil-form, and yet something was different about him. The gold in his eyes had softened, and his hand tightened around mine, pulling me up.

He kept lifting me higher and higher, until we passed my Nan's flat. We were going so fast that my nightgown billowed out in the wind, revealing my black knickers.

But now wasn't the time to be self-conscious.

We reached the roof of the building, where he lowered me onto my feet. I let out a gasp, because I had been holding my breath for as long as I slipped, and I flopped down onto my ass.

I was tired, beyond belief.

The tears kept on coming, and my entire body was tightened with both fright and adrenaline. I pressed my back onto the pavement of the roof, exhausted.

I stared up at the sky, the moon grinning at me in return. It seemed to calm my nerves, and I relaxed.

After a moment of silence, I tore my eyes away from the black sky, and looked over at my boyfriend. He was sitting on the floor, his head in his hands, and looking like he was in deep thought.

I sighed, amazed that I was still alive, and rolled over so I was sitting cross-legged opposite the demon.

Gingerly, I placed a hand on his shoulder.

He flinched, but I didn't remove it. Instead, I placed the other one on his other shoulder, and leaned in for a hug. At first as I pressed my head into his chest, he remained immobile. Then as the seconds turned into minutes, his substitute hands moulded around my back, and he buried his head into my neck. He smelled delicious, like every sugary dessert known to man, and I couldn't resist kissing his chest just to get the taste in my mouth. As soon as my lips touched him, he let out a cry that sounded like he was in pain, but I knew really it was just the demon inside of him reacting with my passion.

"Jin, who am I?" I murmured in between kisses.

"Andrea." he mumbled, pulling me back a little so he could get a good look at me.

"Yes!" I touched his face, and smiled.

He nuzzled my hand, and kissed me softly on the cheek.

Then, as if the power of our affection had slowly damaged the demon inside of him, his demonic features slowly began retreating. His hands returned, his eyes turned back to their normal lusciousness, his horn shrank back inside of his head, and his wings waned, leaving the beautiful, serious, painfully attractive Jin Kazama, whose hand I was holding so tightly I wondered if it hurt him.

He stared at me for a moment, stunned at something. I didn't question him: he would tell me when he was ready what was bothering him.

"How did you do that?" he asked me, suddenly, grabbing both my wrists and yanking me up with him.

I quirked an eyebrow, curiously.

"Do what, exactly?"

"Change me," he looked thoughtful for a moment, "How did you change me back to my human state? That is impossible."

I shrugged. I obviously had several theories as to why he changed back: the demon living in his skin was wounded by the love and desire that was radiating off of me was the top one on the list. The other one, closely called was that Jin himself had fought through his demonic antics and overcome the hideous demon.

But it just didn't seem appropriate to say anything at the moment. Instead, I wanted to just hear his voice.

"Andrea. Please don't make me do that again. I almost killed you," he looked sorrowful.

"But you didn't! You fought it and won. You can win, Jin. We can do it together," I told him, smiling gently.

A small smile tainted his lips, and he nodded. He mumbled something about researching it later, before pressing his hand into the small of my back and leading me down the steps to my Nan's apartment.

*

"Don't leave." I said as he crept over to the window and contemplated stepping through it.

He turned back to me, and tilted his head to the side. I patted the space on the bed next to me, and he slid over and dropped into the space dully.

"Jin. Come on. Give me a smile," I grinned, and pressed my two index fingers into the corners of his mouth, pulling them up into a feigned grin.

He laughed, and took my hands in his, pulling me into him. I fell onto his chest as he tickled my back. I squealed, and then wondered something:

How had my Nan not heard any of noise? Me screaming like a banshee at Jin attacking me, me slipping off my the window ledge, Jet's loud growls and moans. She must have been _deaf_.

With capital letters and an exclamation mark.

"Andrea." he sat me up and stared at me deep in the eyes.

"Yes?" I whispered, as he kissed my neck sweetly.

"Whatever I have, whatever's left of me, is yours. Now, and forever, until I die."

"Don't say things like that," I waved the 'death' remark away.

"No, I have to say things like that. My family…" he cleared his throat, "They're all trying to kill me.""What?" I said, astounded.

I mean, _I _had family issues, but I never wanted to kill them. Well, maybe my Dad, but that's for a whole different reasons….

"They have the demon blood too. My Dad, my Grandfather and my long gone Great-Grandfather. Except, mine is the greatest out of all of them. It is stronger, more rabid, and they both want it for themselves,"

He looked down at his hands. I stared at him, not too sure how to answer.

"Um…how can they take your blood?" I asked, shuddering as thoughts of a complete blood drainage entered my head.

"They crucify me. They recite some ancient monologue that depletes all the demon out of me," he explained to me.

"And that's a bad thing? The demon coming out of you?" I quizzed, my brow furrowing.

"It doesn't exactly work that way. If my demon blood is gone, I only have half my blood supply. And I will die. And even if I did not by the drainage, my father or Grandfather would certainly kill me themselves."

My mouth dropped: how could his own father want to kill him?! It was madness! A ridicule! I leant back a little, shocked at the news.

"Hey, don't look so worried. They won't get me. Ever." Jin smiled, taking my face in his hands and leaning in to kiss me.

Then he stopped, his eyes opening wide. He turned and stared at the window, bewildered. I frowned, turning to where he was looking. And then my mouth dropped in both awe and nervousness.

It was like an aged version of Jin, except without the stunning personality and captivating eyes.

He had one normal human eyes, and the other red, plus he didn't have Jin's spiky fringe.

"Well, well, well," he said, amusement coaxing his voice, "What do we have here?"


End file.
